Botswana’s growing skateboarding movement is set to reach a historic milestone as national skateboarder Theo Setsetse prepares to represent Botswana at the World Skate Olympic Qualification events in Rome, Italy, from June 7 to June 21, 2026.
According to the Botswana Skate Federation, Setsetse’s participation forms part of the official World Skate international ranking and Olympic qualification pathway, placing him among elite skateboarders from across the globe competing for Olympic qualification points.
Setsetse is also expected to travel to Kardo, Russia, in August for additional international skateboarding events aimed at expanding his competitive experience and international exposure.
For Botswana Skate Federation President Mosako Chalashika, Setsetse’s journey represents far more than individual achievement. Chalashika described it as a story of “passion, resilience, and belief in possibilities that once seemed far beyond reach for skateboarders from Botswana.”
He revealed that their skateboarding journey began years ago as boarding students in Kimberley, South Africa, where the two spent countless hours skating together, learning tricks through trial and error while dreaming about what skateboarding could become for young people from the region.
“At the time, skateboarding in Botswana had very limited structure, support, or recognition — it still does,” Chalashika said. “We were driven purely by love for the culture and the freedom the sport gave us.”
He said watching Setsetse progress from skating in schoolyards and small skateparks to competing on the international Olympic qualification stage is deeply meaningful for Botswana’s skateboarding community and African skateboarding as a whole.
“For the Botswana skateboarding community, his participation in Rome was historic. It demonstrated that athletes from Botswana can stand alongside the world’s best and compete at the highest level of the sport,” Chalashika added.
The federation believes Setsetse’s participation marks a turning point for skateboarding in Botswana, a sport that has largely existed as an underground youth culture with limited sponsorship, infrastructure, and institutional recognition.
Chalashika said the international exposure now gives legitimacy to the sport and helps show communities, parents, sponsors, and sporting authorities that skateboarding offers real international opportunities.
“Young skaters in Botswana can now look at someone from their own environment and say, ‘If he made it onto the Olympic qualification circuit, maybe I can too,’” he said.
The federation now hopes to use this momentum to build a stronger national skateboarding ecosystem through grassroots competitions, structured development programs, coaching initiatives, and partnerships with schools and youth organizations.
One of the major challenges facing the sport remains infrastructure. Botswana currently has no fully developed skateparks or professional training facilities, something the federation believes is limiting the development of local talent.
Projects such as the planned Knucklehds Skate Park are expected to play a critical role in creating safe and professional training spaces for young skateboarders.
Beyond competition, Chalashika said the federation views skateboarding as an important tool for youth empowerment, creativity, discipline, and community development.
In the long term, the federation hopes Botswana can become one of Africa’s leading skateboarding nations by producing internationally competitive athletes and hosting regional and international events.
“Setsetse’s participation was not the finish line; it was the opening of a new chapter,” Chalashika said. “It showed that Botswana belongs in the global skateboarding conversation, and now the responsibility is on all of us to continue building that future.”
